“Let me out now!” Isa yelled again. She heard Glennie mumble something under her breath, and next time Isa opened her mouth, nothing. Bitch made me mute. I screamed a silent scream and slammed my whole body against the door. I heard Glennie yelp and then run away.

Then I was alone.

I threw my body against the door a couple more times before sitting on the floor gripping my throbbing shoulder. Silent sobs waved through my body, and I put my head in my hands and cried.

Half of the reason being because I needed to know I was actually crying.

What did I do to deserve this? I wasn’t leading her precious James on. I wasn’t trying to make him break up with her. Though I will now.

Why does she feel threatened by me? James and I are nothing but friends. And we’ll never be anything more. I remember someone telling me how when James and another fangirl dated—what was her name? Lizzy? Lauren? Lola, that’s it—when they dated, she set his female friend and relative’s knickers on fire.

Maybe it’s not that she thinks I’ll steal him away, but that I pose a threat to her being his one and only woman. She wants to be the center of his world. She wants to be the only one he needs or wants.

Yea, James and I have grown closer over the last few months, but what did she expect? I know I haven’t been his friend for very long, but—I don’t know—he likes spending time with me. That’s not my fault.

Isa gripped her head trying to think of anything else besides James.

He’s the reason I’m in this mess! He’s the reason I’m locked in some godforsaken broom cupboard that they only use on Thursdays. Why only Thursdays? Huh?

I’ve done nothing to her. Nothing. And yet she tries to get rid of me? I could die!

Isa raised her head out of her hands and tried to calm down her breathing that had picked up. Her heart was beating faster. I’m going to die! No food. No water. No bloody place to go pee. I’m going to die. Five days! Five days.

I hope to Merlin someone comes and looks for me. My roommates and the guys probably won’t realize that I’m gone at first. In their hungover haze, they will just wake up when they bloody well please and take no notice that the blind one is missing from her bed.

They’ll walk downstairs to get food. James will tease Charlie about his mysterious snog last night. Charlie will blush and tell James to bugger off. Anna, Kate, and Polly will corner Dom about her own mysterious snog while they eat, and Dom will deny everything while saying something to try and distract them from her obvious snog buddy. Maybe along the lines of “wow this pie is fantastic” or “HAS ANYONE NOTICED ISA IS MISSING?”

If it is the former, everyone will look at her like she’s stupid and press on about the mystery guy. Pierce and Polly will be making cutsie eyes the entire time. Maybe call each other ‘pumpkin’ and ‘darling’ while Freddie glares at them.

If it is the latter, they will look around confused. Someone will say “I haven’t seen her since last night.” Then Anna will say, “She was dancing with us, right Freddie?” Freddie will nod and giggle like a girl because Anna talked to him. Then they will all walk back to the dormitory, discover I’m not there.

Then they’ll try to find me.

Did I tell anyone I was going?

Wait? Why am I worrying? James has the Map! The Map, thank Merlin. It’s late now, I just have to wait for morning. I’ll be fine. I’ll be safe.

Deep breaths Isabelle.

Merlin. Fuck James! Seriously. He just had to ask out Glennie even though he knows what fangirls do. He knows perfectly well that they actually try to hurt us. But instead he asks her out. Wants a good snog. Damn teenage boy. I hope she’s an awful snog.

Who am I kidding? She probably bloody fantastic at snogging. Why else would he still be with her? Not like she’s interesting.

Isa snorted. I’m witty. Isa: wit master of the world.

I need to get out of this cupboard.

Isa sighed and picked at the bristles at the end of the broom. On the plus side, once I get out of here, James and the rest of us will be free of Glennie. Maybe no more fangirls. That would be fantastic.

And if he doesn’t, I can just suggest it.

Suggesting being forcing. Like the time that Taylor and I suggested to Mason that his girlfriend was a bitch. Basically we tied him up and put duct tape over his mouth. Then we hid him behind the couch where he was able to overhear his girlfriend be the rude selfish bitch she was. Good times in the Marksmen/Hellswind house. I could ask Taylor to help me again. We can get back at Glennie together. But she’s not talking to me still.

Taylor. Isa sighed and ran her hand through her red hair.

I need her. More than anyone right now, I need my sister. She may be mad beyond belief at me, but she was always there for me. Right after Donny died, she was there. When I was a loner, she sat with me, walked with me, and helped me.

Even after I became friends with my year, she stuck by me. Not as much obviously, but she was there.

I need to do something to get her back. A plan.

A plan to get Taylor Sterling Marksmen back into Isabelle Lyra Marksmen’s life. Written by Isabelle Lyra Marksmen in a cupboard while she was basically held hostage.

So the name is a little long, but it doesn’t matter. The actual plan is what matters.

I could tell mum and dad. Not even an option, I’m ashamed for even considering it. I could sneak into her dorm and force her to listen to me. No that’s way to forward. She would just end up angrier with me. I could have Louis talk to her. No too cowardly, I’m a Gryffindor.

Plans are what got me into this mess in the first place.

Taylor sees me right now as someone who only thinks of herself. Someone who wants to manipulate others lives to get what they want. Taylor believes that I act for myself and for what I think is right. When I think about it that way, I make myself sound like a Slytherin. I need to show her that that isn’t true. I need to humble myself and admit I was a complete bitch for lying for my own personal game.

Isa slapped herself on the head.

Of course! Wow, no wonder she hates me. I’m so oblivious to what I need to do it takes being trapped in a closet to figure it out.

I need to apologize. Apologize for everything I did. Tell her I had no right lying to her. It was stupid and I regret it immensely.

Even though I did get Louis and her together. I take full credit for that. No. Sorry, I shouldn’t of forced them together in that way. I shouldn’t have played a game with them that I shouldn’t have began playing in the first place.

It’s their lives.

What felt like a couple hours to Isa passed with no sign of life outside. Isa had found a rock that was on the floor near her and she had been throwing at the wall opposite her for the last half hour. Sometimes it would hit at a weird angle, and it would go flying in an odd direction. Isa would end up on her hands and knees, crawl around feeling for it.

I need to speak. That’s what I need. OK so it’s not top on the list of things I want or need, but it’s the only thing I am able to do right now.

Isa stretched her head up so her neck was more exposed and she placed her fingertips lightly on her throat. Opening her mouth she tried to make any sound. Nothing.

I remember when I was taking Herbology during my first and second year, Professor Longbottom told us that he was able to conquer a silencing spell casted by Voldemort. I should be able to break it when a squeaking bitch casts it.

I always liked Longbottom. He was really nice when I had him as a teacher. He’s a dorky, fun guy that really loves what he does. And from the stories I’ve heard, he’s also a total badass. Destroying a snake with the sword of Gryffindor? That’s awesome. He was very understanding in my inability to anything in that class. I had to know how to do things and take care of them, but he never expected me to do it.

‘Determination,’ he told us when we asked how he broke the curse. He had mentioned in passing what he was able to do, and it immediately sparked our interest. ‘The trick to overcoming any curse, is to understand its purpose and having the determination to break it. The point of the silencing curse, is not only to silence a person, but to prove your dominance over them. Keep them from talking, and you keep them from poisoning your objective.’

His words flowed through my head right now. ‘You have to know that your words are important to destroying evil.’

Glennie was evil enough. Not quite Voldemort evil, but she cursed me, locked me down in some closet in the dungeons, and took away my ability to speak.

Determination.

Isa opened her mouth and tried again.

Determination to get back at Glennie.

Nothing came out. Isa clenched her fists and focused her thoughts on one thing. Glennie is not the boss of me. She is not better than me because she’s James’ girlfriend. She will not win.

Isa closed her eyes and let out a small breath. Relaxing her entire body, she focused on her voice. Opening her mouth, she tried for a third time.

“I—I—” Isa opened her eyes and smiled widely. “I did it!” She stood up and celebrated by cheering and throwing her arms in the air. “Woo!” she cried throwing her hands up. They hit against the low ceiling. “Ow,” she said gripping her hands.

The smile did not leave her face. I did it. Now I just have to wait for someone to pass by or for one of my dorm mates to find me.

Isa sat down, and did the only thing she could do for the time being: sleep.

***

There was laughing outside. Isa’s head snapped up from its awkward position on the floor and she listened intently. There was a laugh again, this time it was closer. Isa breathed out happily and sat up. She felt her way to the door and placed an ear on the door.

There were people outside the door, maybe further down in the corridor, but not too far off. How to get their attention?

Isa knocked on the door. No change. The two people had not heard her. This time, instead of knocking, Isa pounded on the door with her fist. There was a startled scream from outside.

“Merlin, she’s crazy,” the girl said rolling her eyes. “I’m Cecilia by the way.”

“And I’m Mark,” the boy, Mark, said.

“Nice to meet you,” Isa said. “Isa.”

“Cool name,” Mark said nodding and smiling. “Well if you’re looking for the other people in your year and Glennie, you’ll probably find them in the Great Hall. It’s around lunch time.”

“Then why aren’t you there?” Isa asked. There was an uncomfortable silence as Isa waited for an answer and Cecilia and Mark exchanged looks. “I understand,” Isa said smiling knowingly. “You two are snogging. And you don’t want anyone to know.”

“It’s complicated,” Cecilia said sighing.

Isa shrugged. “I would love to hear your explanation, but I have to go cause harm to Glennie Clara.”

Cecilia and Mark laughed and nodded understandingly. “Do you need help getting to the Great Hall?” Cecilia asked.

Isa shook her head. “Just point me in the direction of the Potions classrooms and I’ll be ok.”

“Around the corner, that way,” Mark said turning Isa in the proper direction. She smiled gratefully.

“Thanks!” she said before she began walking.

“Good luck Isa!” Cecilia called after her.

Isa walked down the hallway and found the Potions classrooms almost immediately. She guided herself down the hallway using the wall until she found the staircases. Winding her way up, she ignored various portraits’ insults her attire and their belief of what a proper lady should look like.

I wouldn’t be a proper lady to the portraits anyways. Apparently I don’t walk, I stomp.

Fueled by rage and the need for revenge, Isa stormed about the castle without second guessing herself. The closer she got to the Great Hall, the angrier she got. By the time she entered the Great Hall she was practically snarling at the passing people. Whisper all you want. I’m pissed.

Isa stood frozen in the doorway of the Great Hall, unsure what she should do. It’s not like I can just go and sit down with my friends. I don’t know where they are sitting or if they’re even here right now. Which makes me look more ridiculous than I already do.

“Isa?!” came a panicked call. “Isa, are you alright? Where have you been?”

Freddie ran up to her looking very relieved. He was followed closely behind by Kate and Pierce. Freddie wrapped her in a hug and squeezed the way he usually does.

“Well, Freddie,” Isa snapped pulling away from him. He flinched slightly. “Someone cursed me so I couldn’t move. Then dragged me down into the dungeons, and locked me in a disgusting closet.”

“What?” Kate asked.

“Oh yea and the best part is that I just found out that I’ve been locked in there for probably about 10 hours, maybe longer,” Isa said. “Isn’t that fantastic?”

“We tried looking for you,” Pierce explained. “But Al had the Map and he was passed out and we couldn’t get into his room.”

“Where’s James?” Isa snarled.

“James? Why?” Kate said.

“Where is he?” Isa snapped.

“Out looking for you. So are Polly, Dom, Anna, and Charlie,” Kate said sounding alarmed. Isa clenched her fists and breathed deeply, trying not to get upset at the friends who did nothing.

“Isa!”

Speak of the devil. James ran up to her, smiling broadly, and looking very relieved.

“Hello, James,” Isa said through clenched teeth. James’ smile fell off his face when he saw Isa’s angry glare. Pierce looked nervously between Isa and James.

“What?” he asked.

“James, I think you should step further away, she looks ready to kill,” Pierce said pushing James back a little bit. Isa did not relax.

“‘What?’” she repeated. “After what just happened, you come running up all happy, just to say a bloody ‘what?’”

“Told me to stay away from James, and then locked the bloody door,” Isa said placing her hands on her hips angrily. Dom came up behind James followed by everyone else.

“What happened?” she asked breathlessly.

“Glennie locked Isa in a closet all night,” Pierce explained.

“That bitch,” Anna grumbled. “I knew I always hated her for some reason.”

“Reason being because she’s a bitch,” Charlie said angrily. Everyone began to talk at once. Most about how much they wanted to hurt Glennie. Some slapping James because he’s the one going out with her. But James just stood there, staring confused at the ground.

“Wait,” he said finally holding up his hand. “No, she wouldn’t do this.” They stared at him shocked.

“She one of the girls we marked as a fangirl, aka dangerous, and you don’t think she would do this?” Polly cried.

“Fangirls have burned our underwear,” Anna said crossing her arms.

“They’ve publicly embarrassed us,” Polly said.

“They’ve had a raccoon attack me while I was in the shower!” Dom said. “How did they even get a raccoon? And into our dorm?”

“And they’ve reached the point that they locked Isa in a closet,” Charlie pointed out scratching his head. James sighed.

“I really don’t think she would do this,” he said. “Maybe you just heard wrong?”

“It’s not like Isa could see her, so she can’t be sure. She’s blind, remember?” James said. “She won’t know as much because she can’t see!” It was silent as the words sunk in.

It’s not like Isa could see her.

She’s blind, remember?

She won’t know as much because she can’t see!

“Shit,” James said. “That’s not what I meant.”

Isa crossed her arms. “Then what exactly did you mean by that?”

“Tha—”

“I’m not as smart as you?” Isa snapped.

“No—”

“I’ll never be as good as you?”

“Isa—”

“I won’t get as far as you in life? Because I’m blind?” she snapped. “Thank you for clearing that up, Potter,” Isa said harshly her voice dripping in hatred.

“Isa please,” James said desperately.

“No,” Isa said harshly. “Don’t ever talk to me again,” she said while Anna grabbed her arm and started leaving her away. “You’re girlfriend’s a bitch and I hate her by the way,” Isa called over her shoulder.

Isa and Anna walked in silence for a couple minutes. Everything that had just happened came rushing back into Isa mind and she was having a hard time keeping the tears back. “Isa,” Anna said quietly. Isa shook her head.

“Just get me back to the dormitory before I cry in front of everyone,” Isa said, her voice barely audible. Anna nodded and quickly took her up the stairs. Anna stopped just at the top of the stairs.

“Why are you stopping?” Isa asked. Anna took her arm away from Isa’s roughly and Isa stumbled back against the railing. She gripped it tightly steadying herself. “Anna?”

“You,” she heard Anna say dangerously. “You bitch!”

“What did I do?”

Of course we would run in to Glennie. Why would we? Merlin hates me. That’s why.

“You locked Isa in a closet!” Anna cried pointing at Isa who was pale and breathing heavily.

“No I didn’t,” Glennie said angrily. “I would never do that!” Her friends around her agreed loudly. But even as Glennie said it, she looked at Isa with a pale face as though she was shocked to see her.

“Weird how I don’t believe you,” Anna said glaring at her noticing her pale face. “You and all you little minions are just awful people trying to screw with us because we’re friends with James.”

Glennie gave an unconvincing short laugh. “I don’t care who James is friends with,” she said crossing her arms. “And why are you so angry? It’s not like Isa is hurt.”

“I could have been,” Isa said loudly surprising herself. “You said so yourself that that closet is never used until Thrusday. I could have, I don’t know, starved or died from dehydration if no one found me.” Anna looked at Isa.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” she asked crossing over to Isa at the railing. “You can leave,” she snapped at Glennie and her friends glaring at each of them. They each flipped a strand of hair over their shoulder, rolled their eyes, and left.

“I was too busy being insulted,” Isa said shortly. She shrugged and gave a sad smile. “Can we go?” Anna nodded and lead her the rest of the way up to the dormitory.

Once up there, Isa crawled straight into her bed. She didn’t bother changing or washing up, she just wanted to sleep.

A few hours later, Isa woke up. She didn’t turn around to the rest of the dorm; she just continued to lie there under her big duvet.

“Did you talk to James?” Kate whispered.

“Yea,” Dom whispered back. “He’s pretty upset over what he said.”

“He should be,” Polly said. “That was an awful thing to say. Especially about Isa. It’s like kicking a puppy.”

“He didn’t mean it,” Kate said. “You know that.”

“I know, but it’s not only because he said that that I think Isa’s upset,” Dom said.

“Why else would she be so angry with him?” Anna asked.

“He chose her over me,” Isa said from her bed. She finally turned around to them. “He chose to believe her when the truth was staring him straight in the face.”

“Isa—” Dom started moving over to Isa’s bed. She sat on the floor in front of Isa. Dom sat looking sympathetically at Isa and then she tucked a strand of hair that had fallen in Isa’s face.

“What does?” Kate asked. The rest of them got off of Polly’s bed and sat either on or right next to Isa’s bed.

“Him choosing her. I mean he’s known both of us for about the same amount of time, but he gets to snog her. Of course he takes her side,” Isa said flipping on to her back and throwing the duvet off the upper half of her body.

“Isa you know you’re like his favorite person in this entire group? He’s just being an idiot,” Dom said.

Isa sighed and shook her head. “I know it may be hard to believe right now, but he wouldn’t just choose her. He knows who is a better person to have in his life,” Anna said.

And I guess that person is Glennie. I understand. I get it. Don’t worry Glennie. I won’t bother him anymore.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Isa said throwing her arm over her eyes.

“What should we talk about?” Polly asked.

Isa removed her arm from her eyes and smiled. “Dom.”

Everyone looked at Dom who looked alarmed and confused at the same time. “Me? Why me?”

Anna smirked and crossed her arms. “Oh yes. Dominique,” she said happily. “What could we talk about that has been going on in your life?” Dom’s eyes widened and she swallowed.

“Yea, it’s weird,” Kate said placing a finger on her cheek like she was thinking. “You’ve been disappearing on us recently.”

“Where are you going dear Dominique? And with whom?” Polly asked putting her head in her hand and staring at Dom.

“No where,” she said her voice shaking. “Just for little late night strolls.”

Anna snorted like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world, which to the four girls surrounding Dom, it was. “Yea right. You disappeared right after we won yesterday and you didn’t show up until 6 am. Now talk who are you seeing.”

“Not like you’ll love Lysander,” Anna said rolling off the bed and on top of Dom. The room erupted into laughter again. At that moment it felt like nothing was wrong. Everything was good.

I still have all of these crazy girls with me. I’m not lost forever.

I guess losing James won’t be the worst thing in the world. We can still have the same friends; we can still interact civilly. Nothing more than housemates. But I can’t help but remember what he said last night. ‘You’re pretty’. Did he mean it? Or was it the firewhiskey talking?

Yay fast update! I wrote this in a very short time, so I hope it's ok. Let me know if you find any mistakes.

I like this chapter alot personally. A lot of things happen in this chapter, subtle things, that I may be the only one to notice. But never underestimate the dedicated readers of fanfiction.

Thank you to all who have read from the beginning and those who are joining now, please enjoy!